The Deep End
by paxromilly
Summary: The Uchiha clan is the strongest ninja clan in Konoha. As such, they have a reputation to uphold. But what happens when love gets in the way? Can Sasuke live up to his father's expectations? What does Itachi do about his brother's secret? Sasunaru.
1. Landscape Painting

**Author's Note:** Itachi is a complex fellow with long dark hair. I thought to myself, "He must be in one of my stories!" So that's how this came about. But in reality, I just admire his relationship with Sasuke. And Sasuke's angst makes good writing material. -shrug-

**Disclaimer:** The characters, setting, and anything related to Naruto all belong to Kishimoto, not me. I own none of this. I'm only a humble fan.

* * *

No other landscape captivated Itachi quite like the ocean. Perhaps it was because he didn't live near one that it impressed him so. The first time he visited the Land of Water for a mission was also his first time watching the waves crash and roll on sandy ground. The rhythmic rumble of the tide lulled him. He longed to touch it, play in it, and even get lost in its abyss. But he had a mission to complete and no time to spare. For a second he felt jealous of the people who could enjoy this scenery every day. That's why he chose to paint the ocean that afternoon: to pin it up on his wall and escape.

Itachi was busy lining his illustration when he heard a knock at his bedroom door.

"Yes?" he said calmly though he didn't want to be disturbed.

"Are you busy?"

It was Sasuke. He sounded serious and a bit worried, which worried the older brother more.

"No, come in."

Sasuke closed the door as quickly as he opened it, not wanting to be seen. He leaned against the door and sighed, closing his eyes.

"We need to talk." he said sternly.

Itachi surveyed his younger brother, who was now 17, with a neutral expression on his face.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

Sasuke took a deep breath causing the elder Raven to anticipate the worst.

"My feelings." he exhaled "I want to know what's wrong with me."

"Your feelings?" He didn't expect to hear _that_ from his reserved baby brother.

"It's a long story."

"Do tell."

"Before I do, promise me you won't tell anyone, not even mom."

"Fine. Take a seat. You look exhausted."

Sasuke sat on Itachi's neat bed and gazed at the ceiling, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Whatever was eating the young man had to be serious. Itachi put down his pen to give him his full attention.

"It all began a month ago when my team and I were training." whispered Sasuke, not wanting to take his eyes off the ceiling. "Sakura left early so it was only me and Naruto on the field. Kakashi was off to the side reading one of his books as usual. Like always, I one-upped Naruto in a spar and we argued over who won when it was clearly me. He just can never accept he's low-rate. But this time I felt sorry for him. Why?"

"He's your friend and you felt some sympathy for him." said Itachi simply. He didn't understand why that was so perplexing. Of course, this was Sasuke: the man who could find trouble out of nothing.

"I get that, but then more stuff happened that made me think it wasn't. After our next training session, my team and I visited Ichiraku Ramen to unwind. Naruto cracked a stupid joke, a real lame pun, and I laughed."

"Heaven forbid."

Sasuke looked down to glare at his brother. "It's not funny." he spat.

"Not at all." said the elder raven though the amusement in his tone was unmistakable.

"I never laugh at his jokes. They're childish and sometimes crude. What's worse is that he noticed. He smiled at me, which almost made me want to smile back. Luckily, I didn't or he'd get the idea that we're best friends."

"You're not best friends?"

"We're rivals first and friends second. He pushes my buttons and I ignore him. But at the end of the day I get the feeling we don't truly hate each other."

"I see. Well, he must be rubbing on you."

"I blushed, Itachi. I blushed." Sasuke deadpanned.

"What?"

"Last week we hit the hot springs with Sai, Kakashi, and Yamato. Everyone changed out of their clothes to jump in the water. I was the last one to take off my top. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naruto wearing nothing but a towel. It's not the first time I saw him shirtless, much less without anything in these circumstances. However, this time I blushed."

"You…blushed?"

Sasuke nodded.

"I don't understand. My heart pumped so quickly like it does in the heat of battle. My throat became dry. And ever since that day I've been thinking about him nonstop. His presence calms me and at the same time drives me insane."

Itachi knew the day would come when Sasuke would finally admit there was someone more important than being number one. Only, for what it was worth, he never once thought it would be Naruto. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Have you told the boy you love him?" he said quietly.

"How could I? I'm not even sure of my feelings much less his." said Sasuke with a hint of a pained expression on his face. He was trying hard to keep his composure in front of Itachi, but the mask was wearing thin. Itachi looked on, unsure of what to say next, and turned to his painting. The ocean that was supposed to give him peace was unfinished. Frowning, he picked up his pen and lined the remainder of the waves.

Intrigued, Sasuke peeked over his shoulder.

"I never knew you could paint." he smirked.

"I never had the time. But the Hokage promised me a week off as thanks for my service. Apparently, mom complained that I never sleep."

"That's why you have those lines."

"No, these are inherited. You'll get them too someday."

Sasuke traced his cheeks and imagined what it was like to have premature wrinkles marring his smooth skin. "You're kidding." he scowled.

"Don't believe me? Ask dad."

"I'll pass. Anyway, let's cut to the chase. What do you think?"

"About what?" said Itachi as he opened the bottle of blue ink. It was time to color in the ocean.

"About me and Naruto. What should I do?"

"Sasuke, you love him. What more is there to discuss?"

"I don't know. Can you put yourself in my shoes for once? I think I'm gay and find my teammate attractive. It's unexpected." he said pitifully. He really looked lost.

The elder boy sighed. He didn't know what to do in situations like these. He tried to see things from his brother's perspective, but the boy who he thought he had pinned down to the letter was surprising him more and more.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The end of chapter one. I'm thinking of making the next chapter much longer to really progress this story. I have many ideas so prepare for the drama! And as always, thank you for reading. Reviews are welcome and encouraged. :D


	2. Chapter 2

In the end, Itachi couldn't give Sasuke the support he wanted. Homosexuality was still a touchy subject in Konoha. The majority felt it went against what nature had intended. Anyone who came out would be ousted from their family and friends—the Uchiha clan was no different. Itachi knew his father would disown Sasuke at the drop of a hat if he heard he was gay. The last person who came out in the clan was driven out of the village by his father. Itachi didn't want that for his brother. He told Sasuke to wait before he did anything rash, but the younger raven stormed out of the room shouting a string of the most profane words he had ever heard. It was a good thing their mother wasn't home.

Since then, Itachi spent the remainder of his vacation in his room, only leaving it to run errands for his busy parents. It was lonely in the house without Sasuke around to bother him like he did when they were younger. He was out either training or on missions. It's not like Itachi didn't do the same, but now that he finally had time for himself he sorely missed his younger brother and the way things used to be.

But thinking about his boredom never helped. Itachi got up from his bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Perhaps a cold glass of water would shake him out of his lethargy. He turned on the tap, watching the water fill his cup when he heard footsteps outside.

It sounded like someone was brushing up against the wall outside the kitchen. Whoever it was, wasn't trying to be sneaky.

"I'll have you know," Itachi said taking a swig of his drink. "my parents wouldn't like you chipping off the paint, especially my mother. If you think I'm scary, you'll be in for a rude awakening when she comes back."

"No, please don't tell Mikoto!" said Shisui, poking his heading out the kitchen window, "I was only trying to be funny."

"You better not have done anything to the wall, though. My mom will have me repaint it and I don't want to walk all the way to the hardware store tonight."

"Why? Are you busy or something?

"No."

"Then?"

"What brings you here Shisui? You never come here unannounced."

"Nothing gets past you does it? "he laughed, "I thought we could go out and watch the meteor shower together. You've been cooped up here forever. Even I feel sorry for you, man."

"My apologies, I've been so busy with missions that I forgot what it's like to have a life. But I'll go if you want," Itachi said coolly.

"Yes! And while we're there we can pick up the ladies. Girls love stargazing. With you around, they'll flock over to us. But don't worry, I'll be there to keep them in line," he winked.

"No woman is ever going to fall for that."

"Hey, it could work," he shrugged. "So meet me outside the compound at ten."

"Yeah…"

Then, Shisui was gone before Itachi could blink.

Back in his bed, Itachi thought about what he was going to do tonight. It had been months since he properly talked to Shisui or anyone his age that he felt a bit out of place. No one he knew personally was out on S-rank missions as often as he. This unfortunately made him the center of attention, if only for a while. It happened several times before to not notice. People liked to ask questions, even praise him, about his work. But if they really knew him, they'd know he'd rather observe than be in the spotlight. So tonight he hoped Shisui would keep everyone in line enough for him to enjoy his time out.

Itachi heard his parents come into the house. He walked back downstairs to and saw his father resting on the living room couch and his mother already preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"The meeting was a tough one, I see. I would have gone if you had let me," he said, taking a seat on the couch opposite his father.

"No, you need your rest," sighed Fugaku, "It's the council. They want the police force to hire new members not from the Uchiha clan. They think we have too much power."

"Perhaps if we gave in to their demands the council will trust us more. It's not like we couldn't use more shinobi," Itachi said matter-of-factly.

"Son, there's no one in Konoha stronger than the Uchiha clan. That's why the Second Hokage gave us the police force: to watch over the shinobi with our powerful eyes. There's no reason to not trust us. Instead, they need to worry about the keeping the village safe."

"Your father's right, dear," called his mother from the kitchen. "The Second Hokage said it was a sign of trust between the Senju and the Uchiha. The council should honor it."

"I understand, but—"

"Look," said Fugaku, "we have nothing against the other clans, but they need to leave the big jobs to the tough guys. It's also easier for me to handle if everyone in the force is an Uchiha."

Itachi felt the conversation was heading nowhere. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I hope you're not wrong, father."

Fugaku eyed him warily. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Forget I mentioned it." He headed to the kitchen.

"Don't worry," reassured his mother, "Your father would never dream of leading us into trouble. We're just talking things out with the council."

"Sometimes words are the match that lights the fire."

There was a pause and then his mother stopped cleaning. Just when he thought the tension couldn't get worse, she said, "Where's your brother? Has he come home yet?"

"He's out with his friends probably training."

"I miss him. Tell him to train over here sometimes." she said and resumed preparing dinner as if nothing happened.

Itachi chuckled. "Sasuke is at that age where home is the least interesting place to hang out not to mention train in."

"Oh, I can imagine. You were never home."

"Mother, times were different. We were in a war."

"I know, but still. You missed out on a peaceful childhood, one that could have earned you extra friends and maybe even a girlfriend by now." she sighed sadly.

"There's no use dwelling on that. What's done is done. I'm just happy I get to live a better life even if it's a quiet one."

Mikoto turned to face her eldest child and smiled. "You really are a sweet boy." She patted him on the back, getting soapy residue onto his shirt, but she didn't seem to notice and Itachi didn't care.

"I'm going out tonight," he said not wanting to seem like a hermit. This joke of him not having a life was getting old fast.

"With who?" said Fugaku, following the scent of steaming vegetables and fish.

"Shisui. We're going to watch the meteor shower together and maybe even hang out with other people there."

"That sounds fun. I haven't seen Shisui in forever. What's he up to?" Mikoto piped up.

"Trouble," Itachi joked, "What else?"

"Don't stay out late," Fugaku said gruffly, "There's a board meeting tomorrow that I want you to attend."

Itachi nodded. His father held a meeting with the captains of each squad every month. They would go over mission successes and failures, the state of the clan, and sometimes other shinobi (those who demonstrated suspicious behavior.) It was utterly boring and Itachi would never go if his father didn't insist.

"If you'll two excuse me, I'll be go—"

All of a sudden, they heard a crash coming from outside.

"Nevermind. Sasuke's here." said Itachi nonchalantly.

"What did I tell that boy about the shed?!" said Fugaku, slamming his fist onto the counter.

"Mind your temper, dear," said Mikoto, "or you'll hurt yourself. He must have had a bad day."

"You baby him. He's 17 years old and it's about time he acts responsibly."

"He does. You just don't see it," said Itachi. "I'll go talk to him."

* * *

I think I said in the previous chapter I'd write a longer chapter, but this isn't long enough for me. Don't think I've abandoned this story or anything. I'm honestly busy finishing my art portfolio so this is taking longer than expected. I must admit this isn't easy. So please have mercy! And as always, please critique or review. Your input helps me.


	3. Chapter 3

"Great. Nice going idiot. You totaled my shed the minute we walked in."

"How was I supposed to know the shelf was right here? There's no light!" said Naruto.

Sasuke rubbed his temples in frustration. "Next time wait for me to turn it on before you start touching things. Come on. Let's clean it up before my father sees."

He tugged on the light switch in the middle of the room and signaled Naruto to come over, pointing to the pile of ninja weapons on the floor. The pair plucked up the kunai and shuriken that fell and got stuck to the wooden planks. It was messy work (Naruto stepped on a shuriken once) but they quickly returned the weapons to their respective boxes on the shelf.

"There. That was easy," said Naruto, flashing his trademark grin.

"Hn. Lucky no one came here to check."

"You're lucky it wasn't dad," said Itachi, leaning against the doorway. "We heard you in the kitchen. He thinks it was you who messed up his neat shed. You know how he is."

"Well, tell him everything's fine," said Sasuke curtly.

"Hello, Naruto," the raven said, turning to the blonde in the corner. "Are you staying?"

"Actually, I only came here to borrow some weapons. Mine were lost in a mission."

"That's unfortunate. Take as many as you like."

"Thanks! You know, you're way nicer than Sasuke. I had to beg him to spare some shuriken. He's so stingy."

"It's because of your own stupidity that you lost your shuriken pouch. Why should I give you mine?"

"Sasuke," Itachi nagged. "You know better."

He rolled his eyes.

Itachi moved to the shelf and pulled out 10 shuriken. "Here," he said, pushing the weapons to Naruto.

"Th-thanks," said Naruto.

"Naruto," Sasuke cut in. "you should go home now. You have your weapons."

"Oh, right. It was nice seeing you Itachi. Thanks for everything!"

"No problem. Perhaps we can meet again to talk and eat," said Itachi just as Naruto took off into the night.

When the blonde was out of sight, Sasuke turned to face his brother. "Why are you here?" he snarled.

"I told you. We heard a loud sound coming from the shed and I came here to check it out."

"Thanks for your concern," he said sardonically, making his way to the door.

"Must you make things more difficult?"

"It's not me."

"Come here," said Itachi, signaling with his hand.

"No. I'm not falling for that."

Itachi sighed, making the lines on his face more prominent. It was hard to believe they were inherited.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," he smiled softly, "You're right."

How Itachi acquired the patience of a saint was beyond him. Sasuke scoffed. "Forget about it. Let's go home. I'm tired."

Itachi nodded and walked with him to the house. Their parents were at the kitchen table waiting for them to come eat.

"Welcome back," Mikoto smiled. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. I just bumped into the shelf," Sasuke said.

Itachi shot him a funny look. The young raven smirked.

"Did you put everything back where it belongs? You know I can't afford to have anything out of place," said Fugaku.

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Sasuke took the remaining seat opposite his brother. He looked down at his plate. A dozen little fish stared back with wide eyes.

"Sardines?" he asked incredulously.

"I came home late and just opened the cans we had in the pantry," his mother said. "They contain calcium! That's good for the bones. Every ninja needs strong bones."

But no matter what she said to convince him to eat the sardines, it still bothered him to see an animal stare at him with gaping eyes. He dug at his plate looking for cherry tomatoes—his favorite. To his opposite, Itachi was calmly eating his dinner. He'd pick two little sardines, combine them with rice, and put them into his mouth, pausing only to drink tea. Not a grain of rice was out of place whereas Sasuke had a couple scattered around his bowl—an embarrassing childhood habit. _Everything he does is perfect_, he thought. _Even his eating habits are impeccable._

"You're pretty pensive today," said Itachi, looking at him. "What are you thinking about?"

_Damn it. Did he just read my mind? _

"Nothing important," he said.

"Then, tell us about your mission today. I must admit I'm rather curious."

Fugaku slowed down his eating to look at Sasuke.

"Well…" he said, feeling suddenly uneasy." My team and I were sent to stop a band of thieves from escaping with the feudal lord's stash of forbidden scrolls."

"I see. Were you able to stop them?" said his father.

"Of course," said Sasuke confidently.

"Recently, the Hokage made plans to move those scrolls someplace for safekeeping. One of my men was part of the team sent to transfer them, but he couldn't tell me the details. I've been wondering about them since."

"Those scrolls hide dangerous techniques. The Hokage would never tell anyone about them unless it was important," Sasuke reasoned.

Fugaku snorted. "Yes, I suppose you're right," he said.

Sasuke's cheeks reddened.

"Don't worry," Itachi whispered. "Father is just upset over tonight's meeting with the council."

"Why? What happened?"

"They want dad to recruit new members outside of the Uchiha clan, but he doesn't want to."

"What's wrong with having new members?" he asked.

Itachi glanced over to his side. Fugaku was busy eating. "I'll tell you tomorrow. I'm busy tonight."

Sasuke lifted an inquisitive brow.

"There's a meteor shower tonight I want to see."

Sasuke blinked and then shrugged. _Of course he'd go stargazing_, he thought.

"Hey Sasuke," said his mother suddenly, "Why don't you go with him? The sky's awfully clear tonight. If you're not too tired, that is."

"Actually, I am tired…"

"Oh. Your brother has only one more day left of vacation, you know." she said, wagging her index finger.

"I do—"

"It's okay, mom. He and I are busy tomorrow. The next time I get a break, we'll hang out. I promise," said Itachi.

"But when will that be?"

Itachi let out a deep chuckle. "I don't know. When there are no more bad guys to fight, maybe."

Sasuke continued playing with his food, not really interested in his dinner. The fatigue he felt after a long day traveling was finally setting in. He felt his eye lids sink lower and lower until he asked to be excused and then walked upstairs to his room.

He stripped into his boxers and jumped onto his bed, letting the cool breeze from the balcony touch his backside. He tucked his pillow underneath his head and half-listened to the noises happening downstairs, like the running water in the kitchen, his parents talking, and the set of footsteps passing by his room. He listened to Itachi close his bedroom door.

_Right_, he thought. _He has plans._

The door creaked open again. Sasuke heard his brother tread down the hall and into the bathroom, the sound of the shower following soon after.

Sasuke rolled over to his side. Thoughts of the day's events began to wash over him. He closed his eyes and welcomed the images. First, he saw Sakura waiting at the bridge to begin training—or so he thought. The pink-haired girl gave him a quick summary of the mission they would embark on. She already received the news from Tsunade, her master. Sasuke nodded when she finished and then stared off into the distance while he waited for that bumbling idiot Naruto to arrive. He didn't even need to turn his head to look for Naruto. He could hear the blonde huffing and puffing toward them.

"I'm not late am I?" he yelled from down the bridge. "My alarm broke so I couldn't tell!" His jacket was in his hand, flapping in the wind.

Sakura sighed. "You're not late, but you need a mirror. Did you dress in the dark today?"

"What do you mean? I always wear this to missions."

"No, not that," She pointed to the river. "See for yourself."

Naruto glanced down at his reflection in the water, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He turned himself this way and that, searching for any stains or tears, until he realized the logo on his t-shirt was gone and a shirt tag was poking his chin.

"I guess in my hurry I must have forgotten to put this on correctly," he said grinning.

He took off his shirt unceremoniously; exposing his tan skin and lightly chiseled abs. Sakura blushed and turned her head away to the right, giving him his privacy, missing the tinge of red rushing to Sasuke's pale cheeks.

"What's up with your face?" asked Naruto.

"Shut up, idiot," he said, covering his warm cheeks.

"I'm serious. It's red. You're not sick are you?"

Sakura whipped her head around and eyed him like a mother whose child caught the plague.

"I'm not sick so you can quit looking at me like I'm about to die, Sakura. It's the humidity in the air," he lied.

"Good. I don't want to catch anything from you," Naruto cried. "We have a mission today."

Then, in a cloud of smoke, Kakashi appeared. "Yo."

"You're late!" cried Naruto and Sakura in unison.

"Sorry I'm late. I was helping an old friend find his way home."

"Liar!"

"That's not very nice." he pouted.

"So what's the plan?" said Sasuke, crossing his arms.

"Ah, Sakura must have told you already."

"Not me!" whined Naruto.

Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, well, today we are traveling to the fire lord's palace. A group of bandits broke in and stole some valuable scrolls. It's our job to catch them."

"Aw, but that's easy. We're not genins anymore. Why can't the Fire Lord just send his guards?"

"Because, Naruto, the place is under lockdown. His guards are busy patrolling the outer walls. It's also our scrolls that were stolen."

"Our scrolls?"

"Geez, Naruto, you can be real dense," Sakura interjected. "The scrolls! Don't you know that inside the Hokage residence is a vault that keeps scrolls of Konoha's most dangerous jutsu?"

"I still don't get why we have to do it," he grumbled.

Kakashi chuckled. "This mission is probably easy like you say, but it's highly important that we're successful."

"Alright…"

"Okay, here's the plan. We arrive at the palace, gather information, and then formulate a strategy from there. The thieves can't have gone far because even the gates surrounding the complex are being watched. Any questions?"

The three chunin shook their heads.

"Good. We leave in half an hour. Gather any needed materials and we'll meet at the entrance."

Then, in a cloud of smoke, Kakashi disappeared.

* * *

End of chapter 3. So I'm starting college in the summer and that means I have more time to write. I know that sounds unbelievable, but creating a portfolio sapped my energy. Now that that's over with, I can focus on this story. Yippee!

As always, please review and/or critique. Message me, even. I'd like to hear your take on this story. Thank you.


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